music video to computer

[Lucie South]

Here's one I haven't seen addressed anywhere.

I have Windows XP Media Centre Edition. I know I can do some wonderful stuff
on this Windows system. I'm still learning about all its capabilities. I
have managed to take music DVDs and copied them to my system. Using DVD
Audio Extractor, I've converted the chapters from the DVDs to MP3s. I was
then able to make music CDs that I can then listen to on my CD player.

I have a lot of VCR tapes with music on them that I would like to transfer
to my system in the same way. I have not been able to find out whether it's
possible.

I know that there are VCR/DVD recorders out there. You can transfer VCR
tapes to DVD and then I could then follow the same procedure above. The two
problems with this are - first and most importantly, the cost of these
machines are give or take $350 - $500 - and second, I'm not sure if this
machine would copy the tape in chapters - which I need, to separate the
songs.

Question:
Is there anything else I can do that would be cheaper and feasible for my
system? Like a cable of some sort that would connect the VCR to my computer.
I could then see about a utility that would transfer the audio (analog) to
(digital) MP3 files.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Lucie

 

[Phillips]

Your VCR player should have an audio output - either for receiver or
headset. Most likely, your VCR has RCA jack output(s) that you have to
connect to your 1/8" stereo mini-jack soundcard audio input - or microphone
input at worst. To connect RCA to mini-jack you need a special Y-connector
available at Radio Shack or other electronics shops - even on the web.
Next step is to download a sound recording program for your computer -
Audigy (free) or similar.
Michael

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

If you want analog video into your MCE, you'll have to have an analog
capture card. In a way, you do indeed have one of these with your MCE...
but currently you call it a tv tuner.

If you disconnect the cable from the satellite or cable box (or antenna) and
connect a VCR to your MCE, you will have to 'reset' the MCE tuner options,
just as you did when you initially set up the MCE. Alternatively you can
purchase a separate capture card. That's not a bad thing because they
usually come with the required software to capture analog video. Windows
Movie Maker can sometimes do it, but it's designed for digital video
capture... and is very fussy about analog.

As regards software, I've used PowerDirector by Cyberlink
(www.gocyberlink.com), WinDVD Creator from Intervideo (www.intervideo.com)
Roxio's VideoWave (www.roxio.com) and a whole load of others but those three
are the easiest to use in my opinion.

As an alternative to the capture card, IF your graphics card has VIVO
capabilities (video in and video out) you can use this instead.

You will connect the yellow composite output of the VCR to the analog in
signal (yellow composite again) of your capture card (or graphics card) and
the red and white composites outputs of your VCR to the line in (minijack)
of your soundcard.

Then you will launch the software, start your tape and once you ensure it's
in the right place (or thereabouts), press the record button with the mouse
of the capture software. (That's when you need a lot of hands to press Play
on the VCR and click on the Mouse at the same time!)

Once it's finished capturing, you'll edit as you wish and then save it on
your hard drive... then burn to a DVD. You can only capture in a 1:1 time
ratio..... if the tape is 1 hour long, it will take 1 hour to capture it.
How long it takes to edit depends on you. And the longest time will be
saving the file in the format you desire.

So yes, getting a VCR/DVD Recorder is more expensive but it's definitely
less labor intensive. However I don't have one... and I capture from VCR
all the time. Eventually I will have transferred all the tapes I have...
but there were over 400 and I've got it down to about 120 so I won't finish
anytime soon.
--
Cari (MS-MVP)
Printing & Imaging

 

[Guest]

You'll need a capure card,ati makes one for about 50.00,if audio/video in
exists now,connect youre vhr/vhs plugs into computer as you would normally,
all one really needs are the drivers for the card.From there,download windows
encoder 9 series + all the utilitys except the one for adobe,get the codec
install-
ation also.The encoder will record audio and video or one or the other,you
can
then convert the files for cd or dvd copy.